Golf Clubs

So it looks as though the eight playoff sides have been determined. As you can see by a look at the ladder after week 22, St. Kilda is the only side that can catch North Melbourne. They're one game back of North with one game to play. The Saints play Brisbane and the Kangaroos face GWS. The odds favor North Melbourne ending the season tied with St. Kilda. 

However, StK would have to win by something like 25 goals and the Roos would also have to lose by that amount in order for North Melbourne to miss the playoffs, because of percentages. So it's not very likely.

AFL ladder after round 22

Also, Hawthorn has lost two of their last three to fall to fourth from the top spot. If they don't fall further, they'll play in the first round of the finals still with the opportunity for a bye should they win. The disadvantage is that it'd be a road game.

The Hawks lost last week to West Coast, who lost their big ruckman Nic Natanui to an ACL tear during the game. Nic Nat will be out till the middle of next year. Bummer. It's fun watching him play. The Eagles will make the eight, but making a deep run in the postseason is less likely without the big man.

Last week I watched North fall to Sydney. I saw today that Kangaroos player Brent Harvey at age 38 will not be offered a contract for 2017. There seems to be a greater emphasis on the team and the collective in the AFL, because the reason given was that they want to get young players game experience. I don't know-- Harvey just set the league record for games played and still looks to be in fine form. I get that his days are numbered, but his loyalty and commitment to the club and to the game should give him the opportunity to exit on his own terms.

Adelaide overcame beat Port Adelaide to move into a tie for the top spot. Eddie Betts of the Crows had a great game in helping his side to their 16th win of the season. It's amazing what they've done, since their head coach Phil Walsh was killed during the 2015 season. Walsh's son stands accused of killing his father.

Anyhow, what they've overcome is awesome stuff.

Up for this week: West Coast (without a key piece of the puzzle) meets Adelaide, and Melbourne faces Geelong. When the week is over, everyone else gets to head out to the golf course and play 18 and get ready for 2017.

Round 9

I typically record two matches per week on Fox Sports 1 or 2 and watch them during the week, as mentioned. This week did not include the Richmond Tigers, a side that I've seen play several times this season.

The first game I watched was Sydney vs. Hawthorn, featuring two of the better sides in the AFL, and a rematch of the 2014 Grand Final, won by Hawthorn in a blowout. This game saw the Swans get a big lead early and keep their opponent at arm's length down the stretch. It was an entertaining affair. The Hawks have won the last three premierships so I knew they'd make a run and they did but fell short.

What I've noticed over time is the commentators' weird love affair with Lance "Buddy" Franklin, an outstanding Sydney player. Granted, he kicked a goal from 70 meters, but two weeks ago they showed footage and talked about one of the water boys smiling because he got to give the great Buddy a water bottle. Maybe the guy was just happy because Buddy just kicked a goal. I don't know. It just seems strange is all.

I also picked up West Coast at Port Adelaide. I like watching games at the Adelaide Oval because they show an old hand-operated cricket scoreboard in the background that has the match score. It seems to me that scoreboard (which is right next to a snazzy electric one) has been used for a long, long time and could tell a story or two.

West Coast, last year's premiership runner-up, has a hard time winning road games, and they had trouble putting away the Power after leading by 30+ in the second half. The Eagles did pick up the win and got the job done. Port will lose defender Tom Jonas to suspension for six matches after he struck Eagle Andrew Gaff with an elbow, knocking Gaff out for a few minutes.

So here is the ladder (standings) after nine rounds:

Top 8 teams make the postseason. The percentage column indicates the amount of points a team scores for every 100 points scored against it. Hawthorn, in 7th position, is winning but not by wide margins, as they're scoring 102.7 points for every 100 their opponent tallies. 

My DVR is already set to record North Melbourne at Sydney and Richmond/Essendon this week. I'm particularly looking forward to North/Sydney, which should be a good one.

Opening Bounce

I've spent time on one of my other blogs talking about my affection for Australian Rules Football. I'm not a strategist or anything, I think it's interesting and exciting to watch. Admittedly, it looks a lot like a free for all most times, but I'm starting to see a little of the strategy and tactics that go into the game. I also like experiencing a different culture-- what their commentators say, how they say it, etc.

It stems from watching ESPN back in the early-mid 80s when they were showing things like Vic's Vacant Lot. They didn't have a lot of shows, they needed programming to fill time slots, and they didn't own the rights to as many events as they do now. Back in this day, ESPN was a little engine that could. And Aussie Rules Football was something they'd present. There was even a half-hour highlight show hosted by Stephen Quartermain that was a wrap of the week's VFL (Victorian Football League, at that time) matches.

When I was a sailor in the U.S. Navy, we ported in Cairns, in Queensland on the far northeastern coast of Australia. I remember paying too much money for two AFL shirts-- West Coast Eagles and St. Kilda Saints. Both are long since gone to history, as is the annual preview mag I bought.

Fast forward about 20 years, when I've found AFL matches on Fox Sports. I record the games on the weekend and watch them during the week as time allows. I rarely watch a game front to back, and I never watch live (the wife does not share my interest). So it may take me a few days to recap the week that was in the AFL. Because of these delays, I don't follow the AFL on Facebook, and I stay off of Twitter when the matches are being played. Spoilers and everything.

So I hope to share my experiences with the game-- what I saw, how I interpret it, and such. Season 2016 is not quite to the halfway mark.

Off we go.